Among those who wait for the other shoe to fall on the State Budget, County Sheriffs. In Mono County, Sheriff Rick Scholl braces for the potential cut of rural law enforcement funds. $500,000-worth.

The Cops grant, as it’s called, will apparently stay in place for the rest of this fiscal year. With the lack of money in the State Budget, many see cuts as practically certain.

Sheriff Scholl said that the State did cut a sizeable part of the Calmet funds which pay for the Mono Narcotics Enforcement Task Force or MONET. At the start of the fiscal year, the Mono Sheriff funded a Mammoth Police Officer to work full-time in MONET. State cuts put a dent in that plan.

If and when the State cuts the Cops grant, that will mean the loss of a fund that pays for vehicles, programs, training and other Sheriff’s Department expenses.

Sheriff Scholl called current times “uncharted territory”, considering the overall and local economies. He does have a chance to keep up with developments in Sacramento through a weekly phone conference as a member of the State Sheriff’s Association Legislative Committee.

Scholl explained that the Sheriff’s Association hires a lobbyist who fights for law enforcement needs. Sheriff Scholl said the lobbyist, Nick Warner, has commented on the partisan politics that plague the budget.

Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading